Adventure / Film / Blog

walk

In a little over a month we will be taking on a hiking marathon – The Orwell Walk. This will be no doubt test our stamina and is perfect long distance training for our summit of Mt.Toubkal in September.
We’re so fortunate to be able to make a difference to local charities and projects through fundraising; and it didn’t take us long to choose our local project to support for this event. The hard work, dedication, and vision that has been demonstrated by the awesome Bus Shelter Ipswich is nothing short of incredible and deserves as much publicity as it can get!

Gareth Brenland – founder of the project has been quoted as “Taking a Leap of Faith” by quitting his day job to fulfil this projects potential…just take a second to let that sink in…here’s a guy, a normal everyday guy, with the same family / financial / 21st century pressures as the rest of us schmucks and he’s QUIT HIS DAY JOB for a higher purpose. Man…that’s some inspirational stuff right there. In a nutshell the project is developing an old double decker bus into a safe and secure place for homeless people to sleep – now thats a very ‘in a nutshell’ version, so i urge you to check their story out here!

So we’re calling on YOU to support this mind blowing project and everything it stands for.

Go ahead and check out their crowdfunder page – even just to gain a better understanding of their journey so far…I heard a saying recently and that’s

“if you wont donate a penny out of a pound; don’t kid yourself, you’ll never donate that 10,000 out of 1,000,000 if you win the lotto.”

Our plans are now pinned down for the summer season and man we’re pumped for it! Everything between now and August will be leading up to our summit attempt of the immense Mt.Toubkal , the highest point of North Africa.
This will no doubt be our most challenging adventure to date and we cant wait to share the experience with you all.

Between now and then however we have loads of awesome things lined up…not least the Orwell 25 Mile Challenge next month!

Whether you’re part of our glorious island nation or you’re considering a trip to our shores (before we go into full Brexit mode and ask Trump to build some walls for us!) we thought it might be useful for us to share some of the things we’ve learned from adventuring across our stomping ground.

Geography:

Okay so let’s just get some geographical basics out the way for those reading this from foreign lands; the UK – made up of Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and England. Four entirely different countries, all with different languages (although English is spoken throughout, accents and dialects can make things tricky for even native speakers…just bare this in mind if you’re struggling with the language!) we’ve had entire conversations up in Scotland without having a clue what’s going on…also trying to converse with a Welsh speaking stag-do was equally as baffling.

Transport

As crazy as it may seem; it was cheaper for us to get return flights to Italy than it was for us to travel up to Scotland…go figure. So that being said you can gather it’s not exactly cheap to get around the UK. Fuel prices seem to increase the further north you go, and the further into the wilderness you go – for reference current fuel prices are around £1.20 per Litre.

If you’re relying on public transport you’ll pretty much need a second mortgage to do any serious travelling – again for reference I’m a 1hr 40 min drive from London – return ticket is an eye watering £100+ if bought on the day. Advice here is book early…really early.

There’s also plenty of coach routes with National Express – which although take an absolute age to get you anywhere are a much more cost effective way to get about.

Failing all that…you could always walk!

Kit

It’s true that we have an obsession with the weather – and for good reason too! Although mostly mild conditions and temperatures can vary widely – which is what makes packing your kit such a pain in the backpack. For any trip in the UK you will need layers, waterproofs, probably sunscreen, and some more waterproofs. On Peaks such as Ben Nevis snow can be found at the summit all year round – and so due precautions need to be taken.

Accommodation

The UKs best kept secret…the Youth Hostel Association (YHA). Run by enthusiastic and helpful staff up and down the UK; cheap beds…pretty decent breakfasts, but everything you could want to get in from the elements. They can get booked up; especially in peak season, so plan ahead – or like we do…take tents and play it by ear!

One of the major bonuses of the UK is its size; you’re never too far from the creature comforts – so as long as you’re adequately prepped for your hike, climb, or trek…you’re pretty much gonna be just fine…and if you get completely stuck – don’t forget it’s just a 2 hr flight to reach the sun drenched coasts of the med!